


An "I Almost Lost You" Kiss

by AvidReaderOfAll



Series: A Collection of Kisses [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cullen has feelings, Dragon Age: Inquisition Quest - What Pride Had Wrought, Established Relationship, F/M, Inquisitor can be read as Lavellan or Trevelyan, Light Angst, POV Cullen Rutherford, Passionate kisses, Romance, Someone put a backpack leash on the Inquisitor, This may end up in Varric's book
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:20:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26384044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvidReaderOfAll/pseuds/AvidReaderOfAll
Summary: After the battle at the Temple of Mythal, the Inquisitor and party are nowhere to be found.
Relationships: Cullen Rutherford/Female Trevelyan, Cullen Rutherford/Original Female Character(s), Female Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford, Female Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford, Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford
Series: A Collection of Kisses [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917481
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	An "I Almost Lost You" Kiss

Cullen doesn’t remember much. 

Oh, he remembers the battle, striking down Red Templars, fighting against the Grey Wardens, holding the line to the temple. He remembers her aiding him, felling enemies with what seemed like a single shot. He remembers Morrigan pushing the small group forward towards the temple. He remembers the Inquisitor's hand brushing his shoulder as she passed him, giving him a brief smile before leading the way past the ancient arch. He remembers listening to their voices fade away to be replaced with the sounds of battle. He remembers continuing to fight as the Red Templar forces regrouped. He remembers hearing an explosion from within the temple, a distant battle, a dragon’s roar. 

After that, it runs together. 

Searching the Temple of Mythal, finding Samson, the empty well, the mirror… Cullen was sure he was there in body, that it was him chaining Samson’s hands and feet, putting him in Inquisition custody. It had to have been him who directed the soldiers to round up the bodies and destroy the red lyrium. It was him who followed Cassandra up the stairs to an empty pool where the Inner Circle congregated. It was then that he began to feel the terror pressing in as he looked around. The Inquisitor wasn’t there. Where-? Cullen tried to keep his breathing steady as he looked around again. Leliana. Josephine. Cassandra. Varric. Madame de Fer. Sera. Blackwall. Solas. 

No Cole. No Dorian or Iron Bull. No Morrigan. And no Inquisitor. 

Gone. 

“How can she just be _gone_ ?” Was that his voice? He wasn’t sure. He couldn’t hear himself think over the pounding in his head. _Gone. Gone. Gone._

“Not gone, just not here.” Solas said, crouching by the broken mirror. “This is an Eluvian. They must have traveled through it…” 

“We can not leave without knowing for sure. How do we know if it was used? It is broken.” Leliana edged her way around some shards.

_Gone._

Cullen should be paying attention to what Solas was saying, but all he could hear was the blood rushing through his head. How would they stand a chance without her? How would _he_ stand a chance without her? This was so much worse than Adament. At least there they hadn’t realized what had happened until much later, after the fighting stopped and the demons slayed and the Grey Wardens rounded up… only then did the wardens mention the dragon and the Fade. Only then did Cullen start to panic mere minutes before the Fade opened once more and spit them out. But now… Now, they had no helpful witness to bring the pieces together. Just the knowledge that the Inquisitor is gone. 

_Gone._

A touch on his arm nearly made him leap out of his skin. Cassandra was kind and did not mention it. 

“We are going back to Skyhold. Solas believes the Eluvian could have led them there. We depart as soon as we are able.” Her hand gently steered him towards their main camp. 

~*~

Three days into their journey out of Orlais, a raven appeared. Leliana read the message and then silently handed it over. Six words. No signature. Cullen urged his mare into a faster pace.

“We are safe. Come to Skyhold.”

~*~

He should care about appearances. He should care that he has troops to direct. He should care about the reports he needed to write. But he doesn’t. He wants to run to the tower to see her, check that she is still real and alive, to hold her and never let her go. But he doesn’t. He at least manages to keep in step with Leliana and Josephine as they make their way to the War Room calmly, as to not worry the people. Behind them trails the rest of the Inner Circle, too anxious to wait for confirmation. The closer they get to the War Room’s colossal doors, the faster Cullen’s heart pounds. There are muffled voices inside. 

And there she is. 

_Alive._

He pushes past someone on his way to her, his hands already reaching out to her. She steps around the table towards him, into him as he grasps her face in his hands and pulls her against him. Her hands make it to his face as they collide, a small sound from her swallowed up by their kiss. Maker, he is whole again. She is here. She is alive. She is alive. She is _alive._

Eventually they break apart but not far, she pulls their foreheads together as they breathe heavily. 

“You could have died.” Oh Maker why did he say that. 

“I know.” She tightens her hold on him. “I know.” 

“I almost lost you,” he whispered. “Again.” 

“I know. I’m so sorry.” She kissed him again, much softer this time. “But I’m here. We’re here.” 

She moves one of his hands into hers and he feels the press of a coin between them.

  
“We’re here.” Another soft kiss.

“We made it.”

Another kiss.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

~*~

“Oh, this is so going in my book. Does anyone have spare paper? Oof, Seeker, watch the elbows.”

  
  



End file.
